Fluid filter for mining machine

ABSTRACT

A frame for a longwall shearer includes a body, an internal compartment, a reservoir, and an opening. The body has an upper surface. The internal compartment is configured to support a pump. The reservoir is configured to house a liquid and includes a tank wall which is adjacent the internal compartment. The opening extends through the upper surface and into the reservoir. A filter extends into or is positioned within the reservoir. The filter is in fluid communication with the pump.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to co-pending, prior-filed U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/457,077, filed Feb. 9, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and to which priority is claimed.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to mining machines, and particularly to a fluid filter for a mining machine.

Conventional longwall shearers include a frame and a pair of cutting assemblies coupled to ends of the frame. Each cutting assembly includes an arm pivotably coupled to the frame and a cutting drum for engaging a mine wall. The cutting drum is supported on the arm. As the frame traverses a mine face, the cutting drums cut material from the mine face. In some embodiments, the material is deposited on a conveyor and carried away from the mine face. The arms may be pivoted to adjust the position of each cutting drum.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a frame for a longwall shearer includes a body with an upper surface, an internal compartment, a reservoir, and an opening. The internal compartment is configured to support a pump. The reservoir is configured to house a liquid and includes a tank wall which is adjacent the internal compartment. The opening extends through the upper surface and into the reservoir. A filter extends into or is positioned within the reservoir. The filter is in fluid communication with the pump.

In another aspect, a frame for a longwall shearer includes a body, an internal compartment, a reservoir, and a filter. The internal compartment is enclosed within the body and open on a first side of the body. The internal compartment supports a pump. The reservoir is adjacent the internal compartment and separated from the internal compartment by a tank wall. The reservoir has an opening in an upper surface of the body adjacent the first side. The filter is removably inserted into the opening and positioned within the reservoir.

In another aspect, a mining machine including a frame, a cutting assembly, an internal compartment, and a reservoir. The frame has a first side, a second side, and an upper surface. The upper surface is between the first surface and the second surface. The cutting assembly includes an arm and a cutting drum. The arm is pivotably coupled to the frame about an arm axis. The internal compartment has a pump. The reservoir is separate the internal compartment. The reservoir has a filter removably coupled to the upper surface.

Other aspects will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mining machine.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the mining machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the mining machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an internal compartment of a frame.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the internal compartment of the frame of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tank and filter.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a filter and the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a mining machine, such as a longwall shearer 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the shearer 10 includes a chassis or frame 14 and a pair of cutting assemblies 18. Each cutting assembly 18 includes a ranging arm 26 and a cutting drum 30. Each ranging arm 26 is pivotably coupled to an end of the frame 14 and pivots about an arm axis 34. Each ranging arm 26 rotatably supports the associated cutting drum 30. Each cutting drum 30 includes a generally cylindrical body and cutting bits 38. In the illustrated embodiment, vanes 42 extend in a helical manner along an outer surface or periphery of the drum 30, and the cutting bits 38 are positioned along the edges of the vanes 42. The drum 30 is coupled to the ranging arm 26 and is rotatable about a drum axis 46 that is substantially parallel to the arm axis 34 (i.e., generally perpendicular to the ranging arm 26). The mining machine 10 also includes a trapping shoe or guide shoe 90.

As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 14 is configured to tram or move along a mine face or wall of material to be mined (such as coal—not shown) to be mined in a first direction 54 and a second direction 58. For simplicity, each drum 30 is illustrated as a cylinder in FIG. 2. Each drum 30 engages the mine wall such that the bits 38 (FIG. 1) cut material from the wall. As the cutting drum 30 rotates, the vanes 42 (FIG. 1) carry the cut material from the wall toward a rear end of the drum 30, where the cut material is deposited onto a face conveyor 62. The face conveyor 62 carries the material toward another conveying mechanism such as a gate conveyor (not shown) to be transported out of the mine. The frame 14 includes a first or face side 60, a second or gob side 64, and an upper surface 170. In the illustrated embodiment, a spill plate 66 is positioned behind the frame 14 (i.e., proximate the gob side 64) to prevent cut material from falling behind the conveyor 62. In addition, roof supports (not shown) may be positioned behind the conveyor 62 and the spill plate 66.

As the frame 14 moves in the first direction 54, a first cutting assembly 18 a is in a leading position and a second cutting assembly 18 b is in a trailing position. In one embodiment, the leading position is an elevated position in order to cut the material, such as coal, from an upper portion of the mine wall, while the trailing position is a lower position to cut material from a lower portion of the mine wall.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the machine 10 includes a drive mechanism 70 for moving the frame 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism 70 includes a motor 74 driving an output shaft (not shown), which in turn drives a gear or sprocket 78. The sprocket 78 has teeth that engage a rack 82 to form a rack-and-pinion connection, and rotation of the sprocket 78 causes translational movement of the frame 14 relative to the rack 82. In the illustrated embodiment, the rack 82 is coupled to the face conveyor 62 and extends along the mine face. The output shaft may drive the sprocket 78 through a gear train (not shown).

A trapping shoe or guide shoe 90 is pivotably coupled to the frame 14 by a pin 94. The guide shoe 90 is slidably coupled to the rack 82. The sprocket 78 may be supported for rotation about the pin 94, and the teeth of the sprocket 78 extend through the shoe 90 to engage the rack 82. Among other things, the guide shoe 90 guides the movement of the frame 14 relative to the rack 82 along the mine face and maintains alignment and engagement between the sprocket 78 and the rack 82. In the illustrated embodiment, a guide shoe 90 is positioned proximate each end of the frame 14; in other embodiments, the mining machine 10 may include fewer or more guide shoes. Other aspects of the drive mechanism 70 may be similar to the system described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/374,747, filed Dec. 9, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the mining machine 10 further includes a hydraulic system for providing power to various components. Among other things, the hydraulic system includes a pump 102 for driving the fluid, a reservoir or tank 106 (FIG. 6), a filter 110 (FIG. 6), and a control valve (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the frame 14 includes an internal compartment 114, and the pump 102 is supported in the compartment 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the internal compartment 114 is substantially enclosed and includes an opening on the gob side 64 of the frame 14. The pump 102 includes a fluid inlet 122 for receiving fluid from the tank 106, and a fluid outlet 126.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the illustrated embodiment the tank 106 is positioned in a compartment adjacent the internal compartment 114 and separated from the internal compartment 114 by a tank wall 130. A filter medium 162 (FIG. 7) is received within a housing 178 of the filter 110 and is positioned within the tank 106, although the filter medium 162 is self-contained and sealed within the housing 178 against the fluid in the tank 106. The filter 110 includes a fluid inlet 142 and a fluid outlet 146. A first coupling 150 and a second coupling 154 each extend through the wall 130. In the illustrated embodiment, the first coupling 150 is in fluid communication with the fluid outlet 126 of the pump 102 and the fluid inlet 142 of the filter 110, while the second coupling 154 is in fluid communication with the fluid outlet 146 of the filter 110.

In the illustrated embodiment, the filter 110 has a round profile. As shown in FIG. 7, the filter medium 162 of the filter 110 is secured to a cover 166. The cover 166 is removably coupled to a bracket 182. In the illustrated embodiment, bracket 182 is substantially rectangular in shape; in other embodiments, the bracket 182 may have another shape. The bracket 182 couples to an upper surface 170 of the frame 14. The filter 110 extends through an opening 174 in the bracket 182. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 166 has a round shape; in other embodiments, the cover 166 may have a square shape, or another shape. An operator may access the filter medium 162 by uncoupling the cover 166 from the bracket 182 and withdrawing the filter medium 162 through the opening 174. An operator my access the tank 106 by uncoupling the bracket 182 from the upper surface 170 of the frame 14 and withdrawing the filter 110 from the tank 106.

During operation, fluid is drawn from the tank 106 through the fluid inlet 122 of the pump 102. Pressurized fluid leaving the pump 102 flows from the fluid outlet 126, through the first coupling 150, and into the fluid inlet 142 of the filter 110. The fluid then passes through the filter medium 162. The fluid then leaves the filter 110 through the fluid outlet 146 and passes through the second coupling 154 to a control valve (not shown). From the control valve, the fluid may be diverted to the motor 74 and/or to other motors or actuators (not shown).

In underground mines, particularly mines for low-profile seams, it is difficult for operators to access and service internal components of mining machines. Internal compartments of a longwall machine are often tightly packed with various components, fluid hoses, and electrical wires. In conventional machines, many internal compartments must be accessed from a side of the machine (e.g., the gob side of the frame facing away from the mine face), requiring an operator to remove portions of a spill plate and/or hoist the frame away from the mine floor. This makes routine maintenance tasks difficult and time-consuming. The current filter 110 is positioned in the tank 106 and is accessible through the opening 174 in the upper surface 170 of the frame 14, thereby providing better access for service and replacement purposes.

Although aspects have been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects as described. Various features and advantages are set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A frame for a longwall shearer comprising: a body including an upper surface; an internal compartment configured to support a pump; a reservoir configured to house a liquid, the reservoir adjacent the internal compartment and including a tank wall; and an opening extending through the upper surface into the reservoir and a filter extending into or positioned within the reservoir, in fluid communication with the pump.
 2. The frame of claim 1, wherein the opening and the filter are circular.
 3. The frame of claim 1, further comprising a cover secured to the filter and removably coupled to the upper surface of the frame, the cover selectively covering the opening.
 4. The frame of claim 1, wherein a filter medium of the filter is self-contained and sealed against the liquid within the reservoir.
 5. The frame of claim 1, wherein the pump is in communication with the filter and the reservoir.
 6. The frame of claim 1, wherein the internal compartment is enclosed within the body and includes an opening in a first side, the first side adjacent the upper surface.
 7. The frame of claim 1, wherein the liquid stored in the reservoir is configured to flow through the pump, and then through the filter.
 8. A frame for a longwall shearer comprising: a body; an internal compartment enclosed within the body and open on a first side of the body, the internal compartment supporting a pump; a reservoir adjacent the internal compartment and separated from the internal compartment by a tank wall, the reservoir including an opening in an upper surface of the body adjacent the first side; and a filter removably inserted into the opening and positioned within the reservoir.
 9. The frame of claim 8, wherein the pump is in communication with the filter and the reservoir.
 10. The frame of claim 8, wherein the filter is sealed from a hydraulic fluid contained within the reservoir.
 11. The frame of claim 8, wherein the pump causes a hydraulic fluid to flow from the reservoir, to a pump inlet, through the pump and to a pump outlet, through a filter inlet, through the filter and to a filter outlet.
 12. The frame of claim 8, further comprising a bracket secured to the filter and removably coupled to the upper surface.
 13. The frame of claim 8, wherein the opening and a cover configured to couple to the filter and selectively cover the opening are circular.
 14. A mining machine comprising: a frame including a first side, second side, and an upper surface, the upper surface between the first surface and the second surface; a cutting assembly including an arm and a cutting drum, the arm pivotably coupled to the frame about an arm axis; an internal compartment including a pump; and a reservoir separate the internal compartment, the reservoir including a filter removably coupled to the upper surface.
 15. The mining machine of claim 14, wherein the filter is aligned with an opening in the upper surface, the opening in communication with the reservoir.
 16. The mining machine of claim 14, wherein a filter medium of the filter is sealed from a hydraulic fluid inside of the reservoir.
 17. The mining machine of claim 14, further comprising a cover secured to the filter and removably coupled to the upper surface.
 18. The mining machine of claim 17, wherein the cover and the filter have a rounded shape.
 19. The mining machine of claim 14, wherein the pump causes a hydraulic fluid to flow from the reservoir, to a pump inlet, through the pump and to a pump outlet, through a filter inlet, through the filter and to a filter outlet.
 20. The mining machine of claim 14, wherein the internal compartment and the reservoir are separated by a tank wall, and the pump is in fluid communication with the filter and the reservoir. 